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iHomeAudio and Others to Offer AirPlay Peripherals

kavika411 said:
Someone sort of touched on this in a previous post, but my question is (in case anyone knows this stuff - I sure don't): Is it even possible that Apple could - with a simple software upgrade - enable iTunes to send music to different rooms simultaneously. Two scenarios: (1) same music, two different rooms simultaneously; (2) different music, two different rooms simultaneously. I guess what I'm getting at (for people who understand routers and streaming and such) is whether this technology is even possible - one computer streaming two different feeds out of one program (e.g. iTunes) at the same time. Yes, I know that many people don't care about this feature, but I'd like to know if it is even possible with a simple software update. Thanks.
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The answer is yes. Right now you can achieve (1) without problems, you only need to have multiple airport expresses or Apple TVs hooked up to each set of speakers. To achieve (2) right now you need to run multiple programs (itunes for one room, and Airfoil and some other sound app for another). So in short all that would be needed to achieve everything you want would be for iTunes to let you play more than one track at a time, and to let you select which speakers to send each track/video to (iTunes can do the latter but not the former).

But does this new Airplay protocol (or whatever it's called) allow someone with - for example - an iPad with content on it to walk up to any of those new iHomes and stream that content directly? For example, I take my iPad (wish I had one) to my friend's house, and he's got a new iHome on his network/iTunes; can I then push my iPad music content directly, wirelessly onto that iHome?

Sorry if that's a dumb question. I've been assuming the new iHome would be "wed" to only the owner's iTunes library/network.
Click to expand...

If things stay the same, then the answer is that in theory you could do it. Right now, with Airtunes, you can do just that, but the caveat is that you (1) have to log in to the WIFI network, and (2) You must have an app that lets you use Airtunes without having itunes open (for example Airfoil). So you can do it with your laptop. But can you do it with your ipod, iphone, or ipad? The answer is probably not until someone makes an app for that purpose (I don't know if the Airfoil folks have an app out but should they get enough requests I don't see why they wouldn't make one, that is assuming Apple will continue to allow them to use the APIs built into Airtunes as they currently do).
 
Audio only?

Perhaps I have missed this, or we simply do not know yet but I would like to know if we could only stream the audio only.

For example, I am watching a movie on my iPad and I am sitting on the lounge and I want to play the audio from the movie over the home theatre system while leaving the video play on the iPad. As I see it now, I assume, it would play the audio and the screen would be black OR it wouldn't give me the option at all?

Anyone else know about this or would want this? Lol or am I the only person who would consider hawing this?
 
rowanmwilliams said:
For example, I am watching a movie on my iPad and I am sitting on the lounge and I want to play the audio from the movie over the home theatre system while leaving the video play on the iPad.
Click to expand...

The inherent problem to an approach like this is there might be some lag between the audio and video since the audio needs to be encoded, pushed out over the network, then decoded by the receiving device. I doubt this would be supported.
 
JohnDoe98 said:
[snip]

kavika411 said:
But does this new Airplay protocol (or whatever it's called) allow someone with - for example - an iPad with content on it to walk up to any of those new iHomes and stream that content directly?
[snip]
Click to expand...

[snip] you can do it with your laptop. But can you do it with your ipod, iphone, or ipad? The answer is probably not until someone makes an app for that purpose. [snip]
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if I'm getting your point. Why shouldn't this work without some sort of Airfoil? Do you expect iTunes is needed to be running and connected to your iPod for using AirPlay? That would be awful. Other than that, why should your guest's iPod behave differently than the one you own?
That is, as long as we're talking about original iPod content such as music and videos transferred from iTunes. I think this is, what kavika had in mind.
 
weird that my old airport express died shortly before this was announced...
 
Hawkeye411 said:
You can already do that by plugging speakers into an Airport Express.

This is a great idea. Hopefully the sound quality will be better than my FM transmitter!
Click to expand...

plugging speakers into the airport express isn't the best situation for some people. for example you can only configure the airport express with other apple wifi routers. In my apartment I use the existing wireless network and internet for my computers and printers. So I cannot just buy an airport express to plug my speakers into because it will not attach on to the existing network.
So what i'm hoping apple will come out with is a small box that will connect to any wireless network, not one using only apple routers, which i can then plug into my speakers.
Because $99 for something that i use ONLY to stream music to my $119 speakers is pretty silly
 
JohnDoe98 said:
<snip>
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wismann said:
<snip/
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Thanks to both of you for your posts. Wismann, you are hitting on the heart of my question. I'm not good at asking questions without scenarios, so I'll try this:

Assume I have an iPad with songs on it and I go to my friend's house. My friend has an iMac with his iTunes library on it, a Linksys router for his network, and he has the new iHome.

Scenario 1 - With all of these devices on, can I walk into his house and send my iPad music to his iHome?

Scenario 2 - With his computer off and his Linksys router on, can I send my iPad music to his iHome?

Scenario 3 - With his computer off and his wireless router off, can I send my iPad music to his iHome?

Thanks, and sorry if those are dumb questions. Just very interested, and very unknowledgable.
 
fruitpunch.ben said:
for example you can only configure the airport express with other apple wifi routers
Click to expand...

True for WDS (repeater) mode.
Not true for client mode?! (working with different brands of WiFi equipment causes problems sometimes, though)
edit: Mr. Hardwood was faster, congrats ;)
 
kavika411 said:
Scenario 1 - With all of these devices on, can I walk into his house and send my iPad music to his iHome?

Scenario 2 - With his computer off and his wireless router on, can I send my iPad music to his iHome?

Scenario 3 - With his computer off and his wireless router off, can I send my iPad music to his iHome?
Click to expand...

From what apple says it seems that the ipad / pod / phone acts just like iTunes does now using airplay, so:
ad 1: yes

ad 2: yes

ad 3: no, I would expect that your iPad has to be a part of the network (infrastructure, not ad hoc) so you need the wireless router
 
These are for streaming through itunes right? I wonder how well they work. I have 2 airport expresses that are hooked up wirelessly to my time capsule which is my main access point/router; and whenever I stream music through itunes (9.2 and now 10) the sound cuts out every 30 seconds to 1min or so. It's even worse if I try to use my iphone's remote application.

Haven't been able to find ANY reliable troubleshooting information; but I'm moving next week, hopefully I'll have better results with a new configuration.
 
baryon said:
Okay but how the hell is this supposed to work? I mean I see that it's over WiFi, but how are you speakers going to log into the WiFi network without a keyboard and a screen, and type in the password?
...
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I would guess that such devices would ship with (or have access to) an app you would download from the App Store designed to find specific AirPlay devices.
The speakers would then be broadcasting on a default network until it is found by the app and switched to the home network.
That's how wifi-based TV remotes work.
 
For people asking for multi-zone... it's going to be trivial if you have multiple devices.

Between my Windows desktop (just for gaming I swear!), MBP, MB, 2 iPhones and 2 iPads.... that makes 7 different devices in my house that can stream to AirPlay enabled hardware.

If I'm in my office I'll just use my iPad to start the music I want and tell it to stream to my office.

Likewise, my wife can simultaneously play the music she wants to listen to in the bedroom from her iPhone.

If we have guests they can pick up one of the iPads laying around and start playing music directly to my hifi.

This is the thing I think everyone is missing about AirPlay... it's about any iOS device streaming to these devices. That is going to be huge. Previously only iTunes could stream... which is extremely limiting. With all of the iOS devices laying around people's houses these days, each of them becomes an instant remote / media server.
 
baryon said:
Yes but that's an Airport Express, which is a router and most people nowadays get their routers from their service provider, so they cannot use their own router, because they have an integrated modem and you have no idea what the password is and they don't help you if you're not using their router.

Sure, I can connect the Airport Express to the Ethernet wire that comes out of my ISP's router/modem, but then I would have two routers, one routing the other. And that's extremely stupid.
Click to expand...

Airport Express can be used as a repeater, as another member mentioned. Aside from extending wifi range, it can also be plugged into a pair of speakers allowing you to stream music to other rooms in your domicile. (previously Airtunes) Since most people presumably have their routers and modems close to their computers, plugging an AE directly into a modem that's right next to your computer, for the purposes of streaming music, would be redundant since you can plug your speakers directly into your PC.

Airtunes is for streaming music to multiple speaker systems located elsewhere in your house.
 
rfahey said:
These are for streaming through itunes right? I wonder how well they work. I have 2 airport expresses that are hooked up wirelessly to my time capsule which is my main access point/router; and whenever I stream music through itunes (9.2 and now 10) the sound cuts out every 30 seconds to 1min or so. It's even worse if I try to use my iphone's remote application.

Haven't been able to find ANY reliable troubleshooting information; but I'm moving next week, hopefully I'll have better results with a new configuration.
Click to expand...

How do you have the Airport Expresses set up?
You need them to "Join a Wireless Network" and not "Participate in a WDS Network".

Use the Airport Utility to look at the settings of the Airport Express units, check that they are set to "Join a Wireless Network".
 
Still no thoughts about is these 3rd PArty devices will play tracks with FairPlay DRM on them?

It's important as I have over 3000 tracks out of 6375 tracks purchased from iTunes that have DRM on them.
 
friedmud said:
For people asking for multi-zone... it's going to be trivial if you have multiple devices.

Between my Windows desktop (just for gaming I swear!), MBP, MB, 2 iPhones and 2 iPads.... that makes 7 different devices in my house that can stream to AirPlay enabled hardware.

If I'm in my office I'll just use my iPad to start the music I want and tell it to stream to my office.

Likewise, my wife can simultaneously play the music she wants to listen to in the bedroom from her iPhone.

If we have guests they can pick up one of the iPads laying around and start playing music directly to my hifi.

This is the thing I think everyone is missing about AirPlay... it's about any iOS device streaming to these devices. That is going to be huge. Previously only iTunes could stream... which is extremely limiting. With all of the iOS devices laying around people's houses these days, each of them becomes an instant remote / media server.
Click to expand...

Those are good points, but not all of us have that many iOS devices. I know several people who have nothing but a central computer (with iTunes) and no other iOS devices, but would enjoy the new iHome-type speakers for various rooms, and would enjoy the simultaneous streaming of the same or different music to these rooms from that one computer alone. It's not obscene to desire that kind of multi-room streaming from a single computer.
 
Whoa. Tons of mis-information in this thread. Airport Express has always been kind of a 'secret' Apple product. I can see why - 95% of you don't understand what it is and how it's used.

While offering streaming directly from an iOS device would be great, a)I have not yet seen any official information that indicates that you will be able to stream different music from different devices to different AirPlay devices on the same network. Would it make sense? Yes. Still not convinced it's going to work that way. b) That method still has nothing on letting us stream different music from one Itunes library. My iPhone only contains 1/3 of my total music library. Why should the content have to reside on that device when it's already present on the network connected to the same Airplay devices??

Finally, I hope this means that my long lived dream of a Tivoli Audio table radio with a built-in Airport Express comes to life!
 
nelmat said:
No you don't - what more kit do you need? I've got one sat here, nothing attached to it apart from the feed from the wall and it's mains power. It appears to be working beautifully.
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Chundles said:
So where's the feed from the wall coming from?
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nelmat, there seems to be some confusion here, so I'll try and clear things up:

The Airport Express is a compact, slimmed down Airport Extreme. They offer the same functionality - including acting as a dual band WiFi router and USB print sharing. The Express loses the gigabit LAN ethernet ports, and gains the AirTunes jack. The Extreme serves up to 50 clients, to the Express' 10 client limit. The Extreme has a larger range, as well as an antenna jack for expanding that further.

Here's a handy comparison chart:
http://www.apple.com/wifi/

Both require a modem to fetch the initial Internet connection. If you have an ethernet jack in your wall, I assure you the other end is connected to a modem at some point.
 
It's just a wireless powered speaker that needs the music be streamed from a computer running iTunes, iPods and iPhones can only act as remote control. I've been doing this for years using the PlugPlayer app, only I don't even need a computer, just a NAS with the music stored in it. How is the Apple AirPlay solution interesting?
 
callme said:
Still no thoughts about is these 3rd PArty devices will play tracks with FairPlay DRM on them?

It's important as I have over 3000 tracks out of 6375 tracks purchased from iTunes that have DRM on them.
Click to expand...

THEY don't play the tracks at all. Either iTunes "plays" the track and sends the sound to the device or an iOS device "plays" the file and sends the sound to the device.

DRM won't be an issue.

Just think of these things as speaker extensions. You could just as easily run a REALLY long speaker wire to them from your computer or iOS device. That's all they are... just receivers of information. They don't ask for information nor do they actually decode MP3/AAC... they get sent a sound stream in AirPlay format and they play it.
 
fifthworld said:
It's just a wireless powered speaker that needs the music be streamed from a computer running iTunes, iPods and iPhones can only act as remote control. I've been doing this for years using the PlugPlayer app, only I don't even need a computer, just a NAS with the music stored in it. How is the Apple AirPlay solution interesting?
Click to expand...

NO.

With AirPlay you can stream directly from an iOS device.
 
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